Arashi (Support Cruiser)
The Arashi is a Support Cruiser belonging to the Empire of the Blazing Sun. It is capable of putting out powerful rocket attacks at long range. Armament Rocket Battery x2 *Fixed Channel Fore Fire Arc *Tertiary Weapon *Attack Dice: -/4/5/6 On the Tabletop Overview (Squad): The Arashi is a boat with a lot of issues. While its potential for high damage and punishing firepower at long ranges throughout the course of a match is undeniable, its extremely focused nature and relatively low effective mobility (more on that later) means it can have great difficulty bringing that strength to bear, or making it matter at all. One must compare it to the Yurgi, given their similar roles. While the Arashi can bring slightly greater damage at longer range, the Yurgi is far more nimble, and far more able to pump out shots every single turn thanks to a superior fire arc. Overview (Attachment): Given the nature of the Arashi, it has a tendency to hamper squads it's attached to. Its sole weapon system, stuck on a fixed fore channel, means that the squad will have to adapt to the rather awkward movement requirements of the Arashi if they want to make use of it. On a Large vessel, this isn't so horrible, but with a group of Mediums it means their innate mobility and flexibility is held back a good deal. Additionally, the Arashi absolutely does not work well in the range bands the rest of the EotBS Mediums favor, RB1 and 2. Again, one must compare the Arashi to another unit in the force: the Kitsune. For just 10 points more, you receive the same amount of rockets (albeit in closer rangebands), except they are attached to multiple 360 arcs. You're also getting 3 AA and 3 CC, compared to the 2 AA and 2 CC the Arashi provides. Lastly, the Kitsune doesn't bungle up their parents movement or LoS. Of course, the Kitsune attaches to Massives rather than Mediums, though that is arguably an advantage as well. Movement: The Arashi is an awkward, meandering ship compared to the rest of the mediums in the force. It sports a 9" move, putting it an inch under the EotBS standard, and it also sports Sharp Turn like every other ship in the navy. Other than losing out on a mere one inch of movement, it doesn't seem all that slow or awkward...until you take into account its weapons. The only weapons it sports are stuck right on a fixed fore channel, and really want to be used in longer ranges. This means you'll often have to choose between getting to attack the target you want, or making a move and maybe getting an attack off on something else. Alternatively, one can scoot the ships along at their minimum speed if they find a target that, for whatever reason, enjoys sitting out in the open getting rockets rained on it. Durability: The Arashi is fairly standard for an EotBS medium. DR 5 and CR7 make it a bit tougher than average, and coupled with 5 HP it can take some doing to put it down. There's the more passive benefit of it preferring to stick in RB 4 and 3, well away from the action and in the range where most guns are unable to reach, or are putting out pitiful numbers. AP, AA, and CC are fairly standard for the size class as well. Overall, no issues here, but nothing that really stands out either. Offense: The amount of AD the Arashi is able to put out at range is absurd to say the least. Spitting out -/14/18/21 is no joke, and considering that these are Rockets (and thus tertiary weapons), these are numbers that won't degrade as the damage builds up. If the Arashi is packing such an insane amount of firepower, why then would one consider it weak? Well, the issue lies in its more subtle features. As stated above, the rockets are mounted on a fixed fore channel. What this means is that the Arashi MUST point directly at what it is shooting. It cannot kite targets, it cannot go broadside with targets, it cannot fire on a unit it is running from, it cannot fire on multiple targets. It can't do anything except point at the target and shoot. This makes the Arashi an extremely focused unit, and provides its greatest weakness: It has absolutely ZERO versatility, and the one job it does can be worked around without an awful lot of difficulty. In the early game, where the Arashi can easily fling rockets at range, enemy AA is at its strongest. Late game, when AA has degraded thanks to damage, the conflict has usually closed to much closer quarters where its rockets are less effective or outright incapable of attacking, and its lack of mobility becomes far more apparent. On top of all that, the Arashi being a medium ship only capable of firing tertiary weapons on a fixed arc means it can be screened against with exceptional ease. In Summary: Pros: *Extremely high firepower at long ranges make for a threatening sniper unit. *Has decent staying power thanks to preferring longer ranges coupled with the defenses of a Medium ship. Cons: *Mobility is poor due to the demands of its weapon systems. *Weapons can be difficult to bring to bear thanks to a poor firing arc and ease of screening. *Wholly focused in what it can do, it is incapable of doing anything other than throwing attacks at long range. *Must compete with cheaper, more reliable units that play a similar role, as well as similarly priced units that are capable of more diverse roles. *Is especially susceptible to certain bad match-ups. Category:Naval Category:Empire of the Blazing Sun Category:Capital